Departing UN Official Blasts Haiti's Rights Record

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The former United Nations human rights monitor in Haiti is taking a swipe at the Caribbean nation's legal system as he leaves his post.

In an open letter that was sent to the Haitian press and obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday, Michel Forst criticized the government for the continuation of arbitrary and illegal arrests, its interference in the justice system and for threatening journalists.

"When I leave my office, I do not want to hide my concerns and disappointment in the developments in the field of rule of law and human rights," Forst wrote.

There was no immediate response from the government of President Michel Martelly.

In his list of concerns, Forst describes how arbitrary and illegal arrests continue throughout the country. They appear in weekly reports submitted to the U.N.'s human rights section.

The letter also expresses concerns over political intervention in the legal system, citing the case of Calixte Valentin, a presidential adviser who was locked up on charges of killing a young farmer. Valentin was let go six months later "by a judge specially appointed for this purpose by the current Minister of Justice," Forst wrote.

And he points to threats that were made by the Minister of Communication against journalists along with reports that journalists would not be allowed to participate in official events because their publications are suspected of supporting the opposition.

Based in Geneva, Forst stepped down last week as the U.N.'s independent expert on the situation of human rights in Haiti, a post that he had held since June 2008.

Since Forst announced his resignation, reports appeared on the Internet that he left because of a disagreement with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The U.N. in February dismissed a complaint seeking compensation on behalf of people who've contracted cholera, a disease whose introduction to Haiti has been attributed to U.N. troops in scientific studies.

Forst said his resignation had "nothing to do with" the U.N.'s decision or because of problems with Haitian authorities as had also been reported. He left, he said, because he was "called to other duties."

A successor will be named in June and is due to visit Haiti before year's end.

The letter did not focus exclusively on shortcomings.

He welcomed an earlier effort to overhaul Haiti's penal code and the appointment of a minister for human rights and the fight against extreme poverty. He also applauded the February testimony of Jean-Claude Duvalier, a former dictator who answered questions on alleged human rights abuses committed under his 15-year rule.

Also on The Huffington Post

Close



Rebuilding Haiti

of





In this picture taken Jan. 8, 2013, a cross memorializing the victims of the 2010 earthquake who are buried at the spot in mass graves is silhouetted against the setting sun in Titanyen, north of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Saturday marks the third anniversary of the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake that destroyed an estimated 100,000 homes across the capital and southern Haiti, including some of the country's most iconic structures. The government put the death toll at 316,000, but no one really knows how many people died. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

Edner Gue pushes a wheelbarrow filled with rubble as he works to clean up the earthquake damaged Grande College Auguste Comte de Petionville, in his neighborhood of Petionville, Haiti, Friday, Jan. 11, 2013. The director of the elementary and high school is paying workers to clean up his school and plans to open classes even if the government does not rebuild it. On Saturday, Haiti will mark the 3rd anniversary of the earthquake that officials say killed more than 300,000 people and displaced more than a million others. The disaster is regarded as one of the worst natural disasters in modern history. (APPhoto/Dieu Nalio Chery)

Edner Gue, right, and Labon Florestal work to clean up the earthquake damaged Grande College Auguste Comte de Petionville, in their neighborhood of Petionville, Haiti, Friday, Jan. 11, 2013. The director of the elementary and high school is paying workers to clean up his school and plans to open classes even if the government does not rebuild it. On Saturday, Haiti will mark the 3rd anniversary of the earthquake that officials say killed more than 300,000 people and displaced more than a million others. The disaster is regarded as one of the worst natural disasters in modern history. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

Supporters hold up images of Haiti's former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide during a demonstration outside a courthouse in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013. Around two thousand Aristide supporters rallied outside the court on behalf of the two-time president who faces accusations that street children were mistreated at an orphanage he created. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

A woman walks past buildings damaged by the 2010 earthquake in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013. Governments around the world have spent about half of the $5.3 billion pledged for Haitian reconstruction. Most of the rubble is gone; there are two new sewage treatment plants north of the capital and a few homes. Many Haitians had expected more progress by now. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

A group of boys sit on the rooftop of a home damaged by the 2010 earthquake, across from the Jean Marie Vincent camp where they now reside, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013. Saturday marks the third anniversary of the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake that destroyed an estimated 100,000 homes across the capital and southern Haiti, including some of the country's most iconic structures. There are nearly 360,000 people still living in the encampments that sprouted throughout the city after the earthquake. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

Residents of the Jean-Marie Vincent camp for people displaced by the 2010 earthquake, wait for customers outside their tent where they have set up a stand to sell rice, oil and canned goods, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013. Saturday marks the third anniversary of the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake that destroyed an estimated 100,000 homes across the capital and southern Haiti, including some of the country's most iconic structures. There are nearly 360,000 people still living in the encampments that sprouted throughout the city after the earthquake. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

A brother pushes a wheelbarrow holding his younger brother and buckets to a nearby water pump at the Jean-Marie Vincent camp for people displaced by the 2010 earthquake, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013. Saturday marks the third anniversary of the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake that destroyed an estimated 100,000 homes across the capital and southern Haiti, including some of the country's most iconic structures. There are nearly 360,000 people still living in the encampments that sprouted throughout the city after the earthquake. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)